parenting & education

Modern parenting presents fresh challenges, including unrelenting time pressures, lack of support systems, and work demands, that often leave parents drained and worn-out. Erin Leyba, the mother of three young children, has been counseling parents on these issues for almost twenty years. She has developed techniques that help parents not only cope but also feel joy — in their parenting and in their relationships with their partners.

Kids play sports because they love playing and having fun with their friends, but it can be very stressful for parents, who often sacrifice their weekends and thousands of dollars for camps, traveling to away games, and employing special coaches. Many parents are afraid that their kids are going to fail — in sports, in school, and in life — and they start to measure their own self-worth by how “successful” their kids are. But when we can just let our kids play and have fun, they get exactly what they need, which is the best kind of success. Jerry Lynch, author of Let Them Play: The Power & Joy of Mindful Sports Parenting, shares some tips on how mindfulness can help parents and coaches better support their kids.

As the oldest of seven Montessori-educated children, Renée Trudeau has seen firsthand how parenting with a down-to-earth and empowered style can create harmony and flow in the stress and chaos of family life.

Increasing numbers of parents grapple with children who are acting out without obvious reason. Revved up and irritable, many of these children are diagnosed with ADHD, bipolar illness, autism, or other disorders but don't respond well to treatment. Integrative child psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Dunckley has delved into this issue, and discovered that everyday use of interactive screen devices such as computers, video games, smartphones, and tablets can easily overstimulate a child's nervous system, triggering a variety of stubborn symptoms. Her new book Reset Your Child’s Brain explores a four-week program she had pioneered to treat what she calls Electronic Screen Syndrome, and produce a life-changing shift in brain function that help get children back on track, all without cost or medication.